May 19, 2017 Aggie Weekly

Aggie Weekly

Good Afternoon Students, Parents, and Community Members:

The sun finally came out and it started to feel like May!  This time of the year always goes by quick with trying to finalize everything for the end of the school year.  Our Sophomore’s completed their third and final MCAS for the year and we are confident our students were prepared for the graduation requirement.  

Tonight is the Bristol Aggie Prom and we look forward to having a fun and safe night at LeBaron Hills in Lakeville.  The Prom ends at 10:30 pm so if students are getting picked up by parents, please arrive between 10:15-10:20 pm for pickups.  Have a great weekend!

3rd Term Honor Roll:

Northeast Regional Youth Conference (NEYC):

The Massachusetts State Grange is hosting the Northeast Regional Youth Conference on July 7-9th at UMASS.  You do not need to be a Grange member in order to attend.  The registration information is attached to this message.  

Since MA FFA is not organizing this event, if you have any questions, please contact Christopher Szkatak, Youth Committee member from MA State Grange. His email address is crszku10@gmail.com.

Northeastern Youth Conference Guidelines

Because we care about your safety and well-being, we ask that the following rules be observed!

1. The use of drugs (including alcohol) will not be permitted by anyone.
2. No smoking inside of any building.
3. All medications will be in the hands of the Youth Directors from your state, unless arranged otherwise.
4. People will not enter other people’s rooms unless the doors are open.  After lights out, there is NO visiting in other rooms.  
5. Please conduct yourself in a manner appropriate to young adults, so as not to disrupt others.
6. Attendance is REQUIRED and expected at ALL scheduled events.
7. Do not litter the area.  There are suitable containers for trash.
8. There is a $1000 fine for any fire alarms that are pulled this will be charged to the individual or their parents or guardian.
9. No one will open or remove anything from luggage belonging to others.  Be respectful of others property.
10. You are not allowed to leave campus at any time without permission of the Youth Directors.
11. Be considerate of participants and others in nearby rooms.  Keep the volume of your voice at conversational levels at all times.  It is only appropriate to yell in the case of an emergency.
12. You must arrange for your own transportation to and from Northeastern Youth Conference.

Participation and Leadership on everyone’s part is greatly appreciated.

Remember, you are representing your State Grange.  There will be others in the general area during the same time we are here.

NEYC Medical Form

NEYC Registration Form

NEYC Parent Permission, Release of Liability, and Consent to Treatment

Bristol Aggie Jamboree Makes Front Page of Taunton Gazette:

Spring Expo Makes Front Page of Taunton Gazette for 2nd consecutive day!

Bristol Aggie Spring Expo offers a chance to learn about animals, farming and more

DIGHTON — City slickers and small-town denizens alike were welcome Saturday at Bristol County Agricultural High School’s fifth annual Spring Exposition.

The free event showcased a cross section of the local agribusiness community and independent vendors selling everything from essential oils to solar-generated electric service.

Middleboro-based wholesaler Jay Cordeiro was picking up a few bucks selling plastic bugs and lizards, as well as cushy bird-and-reptile animal toys that made authentic sounds when squeezed.

“I think Bristol Aggie is a great school,” Cordeiro, 48, said. “I remember years ago when it was just a hatchery. It’s amazing to see what it’s become.”

Cordeiro said he serves on the advisory committee of the school’s Natural Resource Management scholastic program.

One of the kid-friendly squeezable critters on his table was an Eastern spadefoot toad.

Cordeiro, whose Northeast Natural History Supply Co. also distributes archival specimen trays and other products made by HH Elements Inc., has a soft spot for the spadefoot toad.

For the past few years, he said, he’s worked to restore and preserve the protected species as part of a special project launched by the Massachusetts Audobon Society.

Eggs that are collected in the field, he said, are brought to Bristol Aggie where they become tadpoles in a safe environment, meaning that they aren’t eaten by predators.

He said the species has also become depleted due to natural pools of water that “are drying up too fast.”

Last year, Cordeiro said, the cooperative arrangement between the school and the Audobon Society saw the release of 5,000 spadefoots.

Bristol Aggie’s expo, he said, is a great way for attendees and participants like himself to learn something new.

Taunton’s own Marla Isaac, curator New England Reptile and Raptor Exhibits, was back again with her hand-held turkey vulture Uncle Fester.

She also brought along an Eastern Box Turtle and two snakes not native to New England, one of them a corn snake and the other a northern pine snake.

Also inside the school’s auditorium were members of the Acushnet Agricultural Commission, a right-to-farm group that promotes local growers and farms.

Stone Bridge Farm owner and cranberry grower Scott Harding was selling T-shirts promoting the AAC.

It’s all about “private, local food,” Harding, 63, said.

His colleague, Nancy Reddy, said the AAC has played a vital role in preserving the agricultural character of Acushnet, which is known for its vegetable orchards and farms that grow peaches, apples and strawberries.

In the Classroom:

• Arbor/Flori: The floriculture department would like to THANK Arbor Teacher M. Cook for cutting cookies for the prom flower centerpieces!

• Math: On Tuesday,Mr. Braga and Mrs. VanRotz stopped by Mr. Higgins/ Mrs. Ward Math class Geometry to check in on students after the first round of MCAS testing.  The class decided to play Trashketball, which is a fun review game that combines group practice, with the competition of shooting for additional points.

• Drill Team: Drill Team members hosted a Girl Scout group Friday 5/12 after school to help them earn their Horsemanship Badge. The Scouts learned the basic grooming tools, parts of tack used for English and Western riding, and basic equine terminology. The girls were even able to feed our horses and get a short assisted walk/trot ride on two of our Drill Team mares. Huge thank you to Drill Team members Emma Palmero, Hannah Adams and Meg Sherman for staying after on a Friday afternoon to help the young girls learn great horsemanship.

• ELA; Last October, Mrs. Coderre's sophomores wrote essays and created projects related to Elie Wiesel's Night. Some of these students donated their work for a display at the Holocaust Observance Ceremony that was held on April 23 at Tifereth Israel in New Bedford.  The students’ projects really made a positive impression on all who attended the ceremony. Students also received letters that honored their creativity and understanding of The Holocaust.

• Star of David memorial quilt by Emma Ripley
• Star of David quilt poster by Victoria Gonsalves
• Baby sock roses memorial by Ivy-Lynne Jordan

• Abraham Landau memorial poster by Imani Vinni Rose
• Abraham Landau memorial replica by Alexander Cameron
• Peace Flags by Alexis Hamilton and Emma Duarte

Announcement from Student Services

Students, registration for Fall semester Dual Enrollment courses at Bristol Community College has begun.  Applications are available in student services.  Please contact Mrs. Scanlon with any questions ascanlon@bcahs.com.

• MINDFULNESS: What is Mindfulness

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present. When you're mindful, you observe your thoughts and feelings from a distance, without judging them good or bad. Instead of letting your life pass you by, mindfulness means living in the moment and awakening to experience.

• Benefits of Mindfulness: Mindfulness improves well being, physical health, mental health, working memory, self control, concentration, mental clarity, emotional intelligence and the ability to relate to others and one's self with kindness, acceptance and compassion (to name a few).

• Practicing Mindfulness: Mindfulness can be practiced every moment of our day.  In basic mindfulness all you need is a quiet space, sitting with eyes closed.  Attention is put on the movement of the abdomen when breathing in and out, or on the awareness of the breath as it goes in and out the nostrils.  If one becomes distracted from the breath, one passively notices one's mind has wandered, but in an accepting, non-judgmental way and one returns to focusing on breathing.   Inevitably, your mind will wander and thoughts will arise—and that's fine. When it happens, just let go of the thought and bring your attention back to the present by focusing once again on your breath.

• 2 Mindfulness Exercises

1. Whenever you find yourself waiting—for the checkout line to move, for the traffic light to change, for the Web page to load—get present. Instead of being impatient and wishing things would go faster, be grateful for the gift of a respite—for the 30 seconds or a minute or two minutes during which you have no obligations. Take the opportunity to mindfully breathe in, breathe out, and savor the moment.
2. Focus on the soles of your feet. Here's a good trick to return to mindfulness if you feel angry or aggressive. Shift all your attention to the soles of your feet. Move your toes slowly, feel the weave of your socks and the curve of your arch. Breathe naturally and focus on the soles of your feet until you feel calm. Practice this exercise until you can use it wherever you are and whenever you find yourself feeling verbally or physically aggressive.

FFA Banquet: On Wednesday, the FFA held’s it’s 84th Annual FFA Banquet.  Members of the Executive Board discussed the role of FFA in the community and its leadership potential.  President Amber Medeiros in her farewell speech to the incoming officers and underclassmen in attendance provided her experiences in FFA and how it to shape who she is today. Please see some excerpts below:

“I know it may seem hard to believe, but I was shy. I was always the one who would never give a class presentation. Every time I needed to give one, I would try as hard as I could to go home. During that year, I was elected to become a junior officer. I was ecstatic. After I was elected, I started slowly speaking more at meetings and wasn’t as scared. Then came sophomore year. I wasn’t as shy, but I still had a lot of improvement to do.”

To conclude her speech to the current and new FFA members, Amber said:

“Now, the moral of these stories is to show you all, that no matter what place you’re in when you start, you can end up in a completely different place. It is up to you on how hard you try to get there. Sometimes, change is the best thing for a person. I know FFA was the best thing for me. And I look out here at all of you today, I challenge you all to change.”

We would also like to congratulate the 2017-2018 FFA Officer Team:

President Kyle Mazzola

Vice-President Lauren Biedak

Secretary Jenna Gouveia

Treasurer Ross Souza

Reporter Hannah Medeiros

Sentinel Sophia Hart

Junior Officer Team

Jr. President Trevor Clapp

Jr. Vice-President Hannah Johnson

Jr. Secretary Molli

List of Awardees:  

The Career Development Events

Agricultural Mechanics	Third Place Team
Emily Mullen
Damien Watson	Bronze Individual
Savannah Nadeau
McKenzie Smith-Bianchini	Silver Individual
B Team
Doug Francis
Mike Koussa
Jack Wethington

Arbor Skills	First Place Team
Emma Cullen	3rd Place Individual
Corey Gagney	2nd Place Individual
Noah Pacheco	Silver Individual
Dana Tripp	1st Place Individual
B-Team
Frank Czepiel (Zeepee-L)
Joe Duncan
Christian Fulk

Dairy Cattle Evaluation	1st place team
Hannah Adams
Jacqueline Collins	Silver Individual
Jenna Gouveia	Silver Individual
Oliva Larivee	1st Place Individual
B team
Trevor Clapp
Blythe Daroach
Benjamin Gomes
Darcey McMahon
Karlene McMahon
Kaity Walorz

Environmental/Natural Resources	First Place Team* Nationals
Hannah Medeiros	1st place Individual
Joshua Blanchard	2nd place individual
Zach Pecora	Silver Individual
Bret Tetreault (Taytro)	Silver Individual
B Team
Wyatt Rego
Mia Slater
Mollie Coyne

Floriculture	Second Place Team
Leann Carey	Bronze Individual
Shai Gonsalves	Bronze Individual
Heather Holmgren	Bronze Individual
Cora Monast
B-Team
Kennedy Alves
Hannah Cahill
Alexis Larson
Abrianna Soares
Ross Sousa
Caitlyn Vaiu

Forestry	2nd place team
Emma Cullen	Silver Individual
Amber Pires	Bronze Individual
Dana Tripp	3rd Individual
Abby Weckesser
B Team
Lacey Parker
Morgan Parent
Jacob Whittemore

Hardscape Construction	Silver Team
Jordan Sharp
Kaylee Jarry
Kayla Johnston
Nick Marvel
B-Team
Alyssa Audette

Horse Evaluation	2nd Place Team
Noah Carello	2nd Place Individual
Gabriella Costa
Kiley Rose	Silver Individual
Michaela Totman
B-Team
Isabella Costa
Brooke Murphy
Hannah Rucinski
Imani Vinnie-Rose

Horse Showmanship
Kelly Johnson	2nd Place Individual
Rebecca Aguiar	5th Place Individual

Nursery Landscape Team	Silver Team
Nick Marvel
Samantha Rosen
Jordan Sharp
Steve Vaslet

Safe Tractor Driving
Kyle Sandquist	Silver
Jonathan Lacallade	Bronze

Safe Equipment Operation
Evan Cabral	Silver
Jace Hurder	Silver

Turf Management	2nd place team
Amber Kadlec
Kelley Amaral	Silver Individual
Laura Silvia
Mitch Holmes	Silver Individual

Veterinary Science	2nd place team
Noah Carrello	Silver
Julia Braga	Silver
Devin Veilleux	Bronze
Kaity Walorz	2nd Place Individual
B-Team
Nicole Simas
Peyton Pagoda
Kyle Mazzola
Imani Vinnie Rose

Leadership Development Events.

Chapter Exhibit
Julia Hebert	Bronze

Creed Speaking
Hannah Johnson	2nd place

Conduct of Chapter Meetings Division II	2nd Place Team
Trevor Clapp
Isabelle Costa
Gabby Costa
Mollie Coyne
Cameron LaFleur
Wyatt Rego
Kenny Roarke

Demonstration Division 1
Lauren Paine	2nd place Individual

Demonstration Division 2
Ben Gomes	3rd Place Individual

Demonstration Division 4
Alyssa Costa	Silver Individual

Employment Skills
Daniel Kyne	Silver Individual

Prepared Public Speaking
Kaylee McKenna	3rd

Reporters Book
Anna O’Keefe	3rd Place Individual

Quizbowl Division I	Third Place Team
Lauren Paine
Wyatt Rego	Bronze
Skyler Harper
Ben Gomes	Bronze

Quizbowl Division II	Silver Team
Lauren Biedak
Amber Brooks
Kyle Mazzola
Bridgette Roy	Silver Individual

Secretary’s Book
Molly Ross	2nd

Science Exhibit – Food Systems Team	2nd place
Hanna Riggs
Cerah Garabedian

Science Exhibit – Power Systems	1st place
Kelsey Davis
Arika Warren

Science Exhibit- Social Systems	1st Place
Fallon Gonsalves & Jacqueline Poplawski

Team Demonstration Division 1	3rd Place
Darcy McMahon & Emily Lynch

Team Demonstration – Division 2	Silver Team
Morgan Parent & Lacey Parker

Treasurer’s Book
Kaylee McKenna	2nd

Congratulations to the 2017-2018 President Kyle Mazzola.  We look forward to your leadership! #PassTheTorch

For more photos and video from the event, please check our Twitter

Envirothon: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MEDIA CONTACT: Diane Petit, Public Affairs Officer, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service 413-253-4371, cell 413-835-1276, diane.petit@ma.usda.gov

NOTE: High resolution photos, including action shots and team group photos will be posted to https://www.flickr.com/photos/maenvirothon starting the afternoon of Friday, May 19th. Please call or e-mail the contact above if you don’t see a particular team or need IDs for people in the shots.

Local teens take top honors at 30th annual Mass. Envirothon

LINCOLN, Mass., May 18, 2017 – The message from teenagers who participated in this year’s Massachusetts Envirothon environmental education program was clear: local agriculture is booming in Massachusetts. For the past school year, they’ve been researching farming in their communities – from urban community gardens to rural orchards and pastures, from row crops to working forests – and assessing its benefits and its effects on local land and water resources, ecosystems and biodiversity.

Those 250 students from nearly 40 Massachusetts communities converged on Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary in Lincoln, Mass. on Thursday, May 18th to compete in the 30th annual Massachusetts Envirothon. At the event, they presented what they’ve learned about agricultural soil and water conservation, and tested their knowledge of the area’s soils, forests, water, and wildlife.

At the outdoor field competition event, teams rotated through four “ecostations” where they answered written questions and engaged in hands-on activities such as soil analysis, wildlife habitat assessment, tree identification, and water quality measures. Each team had up to 10 participants and split into specialized sub-teams during the competition, each focusing their efforts at different ecostations.

At the fifth station, the Current Issue, each team gave a 15 minute presentation to a panel of judges about their research into “Agricultural Soil and Water Conservation” in their own community.  Each panel of judges included concerned citizens and environmental professionals from government agencies, non-profit organizations, academia and private industry. Teams were asked to assess the potential for producing local food, given the soil, water, and people resources in their community, and to recommend what might be done to protect and enhance soil health and water quality at the same time.

Lto R: Arika Warren, Daniel Kyne, Hannah Medeiros, Albert Geusuldi, Kelsey Davis, Mr. Caswell Stephanie Raposo

This year’s top scoring teams are:

Overall Score

1st place	Lexington High School
2nd place	Newton South High School
3rd place	Newton North High School

Current Issue Presentation

1st place	Newton North High School
2nd place	Lexington High School
3rd place (tie)	Leicester High School Brockton High School / Wildland Trust
4th place	Shepherd Hill Regional High School
5th place	Dighton Rehoboth Regional High School

 Forestry Ecostation

1st place	Lexington High School
2nd place	Newton North High School
3rd place	Newton South High School
4th place	Essex Technical High School
5th place	Bristol County Agricultural High School

Wildlife Ecostation

1st place	Lexington High School
2n)d place (tie	Newton South High School Acton-Boxborough Regional High School
3rd place	Newton North High School
4th place	Essex Technical High School
5th place	Pioneer Valley Regional High School

Water Ecostation

1st place	Newton South High School
2nd place	Essex Technical High School
3rd place	Lexington High School
4th place	Newton North High School
5th place (tie)	Rockland High School Innovation Academy Charter School

Soils Ecostation

1st place	Newton South High School
2nd place	Deerfield Academy
3rd place	Lexington High School
4th place	Doherty Memorial High School
5th place	Worcester Technical High School

Bristol Aggie placed 11th out of 34 teams

“For years, the Envirothon has been challenging Massachusetts students in an effort to educate and prepare solutions for environmental,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “By engaging today’s youth on subjects such as farming, we are ensuring the next generation will have the passion, dedication, and desire to ensure Massachusetts’ agricultural sector continues to thrive in every region of the state.”

"These teams work hard getting to know their local ecosystems and how their communities depend on them. We test their scientific knowledge, but we also like to hear their stories about how they have gotten muddy, cold, and tired, and otherwise had fun and fallen in love with nature in their neighborhood. The best hope for the future comes from engaged, scientifically literate citizens who care about their communities and the environment," said Massachusetts Envirothon Steering Committee Chair Will Snyder of the University of Massachusetts Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment.

“Envirothon makes environment science relevant to students’ lives by connecting them to real places, real environmental issues, and real people who are working to protect the environment. It demonstrates how scientific understanding of how natural systems work can inform and inspire solutions to the environmental challenges we face today and in the future,” said Kris Scopinich, Director of Education, Mass Audubon. “We could not be more thrilled to have hosted the next generation of conservation leaders at Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm. These students inspire all of us and keep us hopeful for our future.”

“The Envirothon is more than just a competition about environmental knowledge.  Many teams have taken what they’ve learned and put it to work in an action/service project in their community.  The program aims to prepare the next generation for the stewardship work that needs to be done,” said Snyder. “And this annual competition actually becomes a festive gathering of the environmental community of Massachusetts. At informal lunchtime roundtables after the competition, teams will share stories from their EnviroTreks – places they visited, people they talked to, outdoor experiences, and service projects – during the past year.”

The 2017 Massachusetts Envirothon was made possible through the contributions of partnering agencies and organizations, including financial support from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy & Environmental Affairs, the U.S. Forest Service, the Massachusetts Grange, Environmental Business Council of New England, Wegman’s supermarkets and local conservation districts.

Fifteen federal and state environmental agencies, conservation districts, non-profit organizations, higher educational institutions, and businesses provide expertise and help organize the event. Dozens of volunteers were also on hand to handle all the event logistics from setting up tents, tables and chairs, checking-in teams, serving food, scoring tests and cleaning up.

For more information on the Massachusetts Envirothon visit www.massenvirothon.org.

Activities//Athletics:

• Photography Club: Last month Rebecca Aguiar entered a photograph in the annual Congressional Art Competition. On Saturday, May 20, there will be a reception hosted by Congressman Joseph Kennedy at the Attleboro Art Museum to announce the winners of the competition. Rebecca's photograph will be displayed at the museum along with the artwork of other students from across the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District. The Photography Club would like to encourage everyone to come out and support Becca on Saturday.  The details are as follows:
• Location: Attleboro Arts Museum, 86 Park Street, Attleboro, MA 02703
• Time: 10:30am - Noon
• Date: Saturday, May 20
• Refreshments will be served.

Each year Mr. Caswell volunteers and takes candids during the games.  Click the following baseball and softball links to see his amazing work! Thank you

• Softball:
• Bristol Aggie 13-Tri-County 4: The Lady Chieftains batted around the order in the second inning scoring eight runs and ensuring their 13th win of the season. Sarah Ellis had a great day at and behind the plate.  The senior co-captain went 4-4 with two doubles and a home run and threw out four Cougar base runners. Emma Duarte, Alyssa Costa, and Malarie Pittsley combined for 10 hits.  Pittsley had nine strikeouts for the win.

Week Ahead: B Week

• Monday, May 22nd
• Spirit Week: “America Monday” Red, White, Blue, or Camo
• Varsity Softball vs. Sacred Heart (HOME)
• Baseball @ Sacred Heart (AWAY)
• Board of Trustees Meeting @ 7:00 pm
• Tuesday, May 23rd
• Spirit Week: “Twin Tuesday”
• Assembly
• Softball vs South Shore (HOME)
• Wednesday, May 24th
• Spirit Week: “Character Day”
• Senior Field Trip-Brownstone Exploration Park: Depart from Bristol Aggie @ 7:30 am
• Varsity Softball @ Westport (AWAY)
• Baseball vs Westport (HOME)
• Thursday, May 25th
• Spirit Week: “Halloween in May Day”
• Assembly Cory’s Cause-Gymnasium
• 8:15-9:04: Freshman & Sophomore (after teacher attendance)
• 9:10-9:56: Junior & Seniors (after teacher attendance)
• Varsity Softball @ Holbrook (AWAY)
• JV Softball vs. Holbrook (HOME)
• Seniors in Danger of Failing Correspondence emailed to parents
• Underclassmen 4th Mid-Term Progress Reports emailed to parents
• Friday, May 26th
• Spirit Week: “Class Colors”
• Freshmen=Yellow
• Sophomore=Green
• Juniors=Red
• Seniors=Blue
• Field Day 9:05-11:45 am
• Lunch 10:40-11:45
• Dismiss @ 11:45
• Varsity Softball vs Holbrook (HOME)
• Baseball vs Holbrook (HOME)